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> it is not a signal of anything. It is a signal that politics and policies[1] can make a difference, right? [1] https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/jul/02

> it is not a signal of anything. It is a signal that politics and policies[1] can make a difference, right? [1] https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/jul/02/norway-electric-cars-subsidies-fossil-fuel https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/jul/02/norway-electri...

jjeaff 8y ago
Everyone knows they make a difference. But things like this are so complicated that it's difficult to say whether it's a good difference or not.
JKCalhoun 8y ago
That's it exactly. Unless Norway has some sort of autocratic dictatorship, the people are voting for representatives that support these measures. Very much a signal.
- Scoundreller 8y ago
  Aren’t most democracies time-limited autocratic dictatorships?
  - icebraining 8y ago
    No, thanks to separation of powers.
  - scarejunba 8y ago
    Obviously not because of political parties, constitutions, and judiciaries.
- hn_throwaway_99 8y ago
  That said, Norway is pretty-ethnically homogeneous country with a strong national identity and a population just below Wisconsin. I don't really think the political lessons from Norway are necessarily applicable at large.
  - oska 8y ago
    Might be applicable to Wisconsin and other similarly sized states.
  - thinkcontext 8y ago
    There will be lessons. Off the top of my head: - Relation of EV miles driven to air pollution and related health impacts - The effect of increased EV penetration on fossil fuel infrastructure economics. For example, at what EV penetration do gas stations start to close? - Challenges for the grid of charging large numbers of EVs These lessons won't be universal because Norway is not like the rest of the world but they do provide useful information for later adopters. If I owned a chain of gas stations in the US, I'd be very curious about the fate of gas stations in Norway.
outside1234 8y ago
What difference? Norway is a key contributor to global warming by being a key producer of oil.
- webXL 8y ago
  Spurring demand in EVs is offsetting that though. Probably not a huge difference however.
- Vinnl 8y ago
  If the demand created by Norway contributes to making electric cars a viable alternative, the long-term contribution of that can be enormous.

jjeaff 8y ago

Everyone knows they make a difference. But things like this are so complicated that it's difficult to say whether it's a good difference or not.

JKCalhoun 8y ago

That's it exactly. Unless Norway has some sort of autocratic dictatorship, the people are voting for representatives that support these measures. Very much a signal.

Scoundreller 8y ago
Aren’t most democracies time-limited autocratic dictatorships?
- icebraining 8y ago
  No, thanks to separation of powers.
- scarejunba 8y ago
  Obviously not because of political parties, constitutions, and judiciaries.
hn_throwaway_99 8y ago
That said, Norway is pretty-ethnically homogeneous country with a strong national identity and a population just below Wisconsin. I don't really think the political lessons from Norway are necessarily applicable at large.
- oska 8y ago
  Might be applicable to Wisconsin and other similarly sized states.
- thinkcontext 8y ago
  There will be lessons. Off the top of my head: - Relation of EV miles driven to air pollution and related health impacts - The effect of increased EV penetration on fossil fuel infrastructure economics. For example, at what EV penetration do gas stations start to close? - Challenges for the grid of charging large numbers of EVs These lessons won't be universal because Norway is not like the rest of the world but they do provide useful information for later adopters. If I owned a chain of gas stations in the US, I'd be very curious about the fate of gas stations in Norway.

outside1234 8y ago

What difference? Norway is a key contributor to global warming by being a key producer of oil.

webXL 8y ago
Spurring demand in EVs is offsetting that though. Probably not a huge difference however.
Vinnl 8y ago
If the demand created by Norway contributes to making electric cars a viable alternative, the long-term contribution of that can be enormous.